Tea Party Leader: It's Revolution or Die

Yesterday I called the Tea Party rotten and its members "yahoos." As an exhibit to support that characterization, I submit the above video of Danita Kilcullen, founder of the Fort Lauderdale Tea Party,

Kilcullen is another one of those warmongers talking about starting a revolution in America. In the clip, she's talking to a Tea Party crowd in April of last year.

"I'm telling you, it's going to be up to the people, whatever that means," she said. "It's going to be up to the people. Because if we don't get them elected... who's on our side, who are conservative, then they are going to push and push and push us until there is revolution -- or we die. It's that simple."

"Whatever that means," is Kilcullen's version of "by any means necessary." It was a call to arms.

These are the people to whom your governor is pandering. You can either be afraid or do something about it.

-- You may have seen that former Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones was acquitted on corruption charges by a jury. Inside, see why the verdict should give those politicians facing similar criminal charges in Broward no sense of relief.

The case filed against Spence-Jones was a bit like the unfiled case against Broward County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman being investigated by the State Attorney's Office.

Spence-Jones was accused of soliciting $25,000 for a charity she was operating from developer Armando Codina in exchange for a vote. Lieberman's favorite charity, the Transplant Foundation, received $25,000 from dirty developers Bruce and Shawn Chait before the Broward politician voted to approve the Chaits' controversial housing development in Tamarac.

The difference in the Spence-Jones case is that the developer who was allegedly "shaken down" by Spence-Jones, Codina, testified that he gave the contribution of his own volition and would have given it regardless of the vote. Oh, and very importantly, Spence-Jones never made the vote, which made the case that more tenuous.

Codina was actually a hostile witness, saying he'd been misled by prosecutor Richard Scruggs to believe that Spence-Jones had misappropriated the charity money when she hadn't.

In a potential Lieberman case, the developer would be a cooperating witness, though we don't know the Chaits' purported version of events.

But here's the bottom line: Any case based on a contribution to a charity is going to be very difficult to get a prosecution. Why? Because the defense will be able to tell the jury that his or her client didn't get a dime and therefore didn't benefit. Who benefited? The community -- or in Lieberman's case, transplant recipients.

(Although there are serious questions about the Spence-Jones charity, which was essentially operated by Spence-Jones. It reminds me a lot of imprisoned Joe Eggelletion's old sham charity, GOLF.)

Yes, it's a form of corruption, but it's relatively abstract -- and without proof of a direct benefit, you're not going to have much luck getting convictions.

The hurdles for the prosecution in the Spence-Jones trial, though, went beyond just that. The judge, Rosa Rodriguez, effectively ruled that it is legal for politicians to solicit charitable contributions from developers and contractors on whom they vote so long as they don't personally and directly benefit from the contribution.

It's a terrible ruling, obviously. Selling your vote for any reason is against the law -- and Rosa Rodriguez should know that.

The Rosa Rodriquez ruling totally doomed the Spence-Jones case. And it's more evidence that when it comes to prosecuting public corruption, it's the judges who you have to worry about more than the juries. Remember, these judges are politicians too (another reason to appoint judges).

"We disagree with the judge's interpretation of the bribery law," Miami-Dade State Attorney Kathy Rundle said. "Bribery has become very sophisticated in our community. We believe that bribery done to influence a public official, even if done through a charity, is illegal. We will continue to investigate, prosecute, and enforce our bribery law."

But is the Spence-Jones case really a loss for Rundle or the people of Miami?

Hell no.

There will be no public backlash against Rundle -- except perhaps from Spence-Jones' backers -- for trying the case. The trial revealed dirty politics at play and forced Spence-Jones -- who still faces a separate and unrelated grand theft charge -- to answer for her actions in a court of law. It was a public service.

The only really negative outcome of the trial is that ruling by Rosa Rodriguez. Hopefully, it will wind up on the trash heap of history where it belongs.

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By my reckoning, there are now criminal investigations in progress against Lamberti by FDLE and the Broward SAO. The Florida Ethics Commission is also looking at him. There is an FBI investigation of Lt. Benjamin and they may also be checking out Wheeler. Schnakenberg is under criminal investigation. Miami-Dade PD, FBI, Homeland Security and Secret Service are all conducting their own investigations regarding BSO conduct at the 2010 Super Bowl. Miami is looking into BSO’s conduct at the Orange Bowl the year earlier. The sheriff's XO recently had a newspaper article devoted to his peculiar background and we learned that the Florida Police Standards Board is quite interested and likely to take severe action for failure to follow appropriate state statutes.So do we get any reasonable, literate or candid responses from the sheriff and his staff. No! Instead we are fed a steady dose of the usual fodder to try to divert the attention of taxpayers away from the rampant misconduct and incompetence. Here's a list I came up with in about 3 minutes:Unlicensed contractor enforcement; Shred-a-Thons; Buckle Up campaigns; DUI warnings and checkpoints; Rides and worn-out reminders about the Sgt. Reyka case; Smoke alarm reminders; Daylight Saving reminders; Anti-Bullying tips; Operation Medicine Cabinet; ego driven minor league radio shows, etc.There is nothing wrong with any of these in themselves. But a steady and increased diet of these recycled fluff pieces is a deliberate and insulting attempt to divert attention from the really pressing issues. The media knows it but has done little to ask the hard questions; the people know it, see it, smell it and don’t like it. And Lamberti and his staff must know it because they are running around like an air raid signing up personal attorneys before the fall. Why not some legitimate answers to the questions? How can AL constantly find time to attend tuxedo affairs at big money homes and get his photo in the slick social pages at least twice a month? How can he constantly attend skybox concerts for his favorite Italian performers and cavort at every useless law enforcement seminar and convention across the country, including all the little FBINA meetings but he has no time to truthfully address the integrity allegations that are running rampant and destroying our agency? Is this how an elected public servant, in law enforcement, no less, who created a motto of “Pride in Service With Integrity” conducts business? Not on my dime - and not with my vote.

Bob, we need to expose Gov. Scott. The stuff that is going on in Talle right now is down right scary. I urge you bring your great insights and perpective to the larger issues going on right now...a full out assualt on Democracy and the Constitution in the name of greed and power by Gov. Scott. Spence-Jones and Leiberman are small time. Some topics for you to consider...

-Scott's obvious conflict of interest with Solantic and how he would benefit from the new laws he's creating-Scott's real reason for not wanting the pill-mill database-Scott's real reason for his war against education-Scott's desire to raid tax trust funds and consolidate power-Scott's refusal to implement a voter approved redistricting amendment-Scott's refusal to speak with the media in a meanigful way and violations of our Sunshine Laws-Scott's support of a complete overhaul of our judiciary system so he can control the courts

The list goes on and on... Please do some real good and expose him. You have the power to make a difference. While the Broward School Board is worthwhile to cover, Scott is far more dangerous than anything they could ever do.

therealyaz – your comment in the article titled “The Sun-Sentinel’s Sobering Centennial,” was “If you want to find the REAL waste/corrurtion in the county. Look to the AIRPORT!!!!!!! What we see so far, is bull!!!! Everything is because of one corrupt dad and son. Where is the stuff we don’t know about?”

You’re right about “REAL waste/corruption in the county” happening at “the AIRPORT!!!!!!!” There is no doubt about that, and would make those involved in the former Port Everglades fiasco a bunch of pikers. The “REAL waste/corruption” you mention is also occurring within the hospital district. The Broward County Commission and the school board are a given. What about all of those little off-shoot agencies?

With the acknowledgement that there is public corruption in this county, can it be possible that we can figure out just how we are being ripped off -- and really focus on the areas where the REAL criminality is occurring? I believe so -- for we have taken the first step & have actually recognized & admitted that we live under a rule of corruption. And, we have come to a realization that the corruption is not in just one area, but has permeated the entirety of this county. It is my belief that if we can bring enough attention to the widespread nature of the public corruption, we will be able to reach that percentage of uncorrupted federal authorities so that the REAL waste/corruption could be exposed. It won’t be easy, and it won’t be overnight. The corruption has occurred for so long that it is ingrained in Broward County (and connected places in the State and federal governments), which makes it that much harder to unravel. But, I believe that it can be done -- mainly because we, the people, are openly speaking out about this matter, without that much conflict in the civil discourse.

When you study the manner taken in the bribery & graft of government officials & their lesser public servants & agents, as these cretinous malefactors wend their practiced way throughout our treasury, banking coffers, wallets, or monied trust accounts, you find that the incremental factors of the majority of schemes usually do not bring about a result that is mind-boggling (although, in consideration of the rare exponential factor, can nonetheless amass into a quite large denomination, when examining the totality of the amounts involved, after adding up the sums of all of the parts of those massive bond fraud schemes -- that have been perpetrated against the economy). All you need to do to start a scheme is to corrupt one agent by making a payment of whatever the market will bear (in return for whatever it is you feel you can get out of the deal). In most instances, the initial payment will be less than $15,000. Sometimes it is an amount that can be placed in a doggy bag; sometimes it is the price of golf membership; sometimes it is the cost of one used golf cart; sometimes it is an extension of a favor, through a donation of time & effort; and, sometimes it can be termed a like-kind contribution, if your hand is seen in the cookie jar and needs to be explained. There are instances where the charge will be a little bit more, through delivery in a large manila envelope, and so forth and so on. As the scheme rolls along, you would be given more of an opportunity to make other pay-outs -- of course, this would be dependent on the amounts coming in and your cut of the action (and what you may have to dedictae to your godfather or other entity for your right to participate). If you don’t get greedy, the scheme can benefit you and even survive after your death to benefit others.

Look at the pilfering schemes perpetuated at the courthouse. Some fines get diverted, but most don’t. What are the odds of finding those that are diverted, that can not be excused (when discovered) through reasoning that the load is so huge (that “unintentional” loss happens)? What about the constant upgrades for what was known (, at time of purchase, to be) a defunct computer system -- just about everywhere you look in Broward County & many areas of the State? What about the colossal amounts deliberately spent on that which is known to be either obsolete or close to it (which had been bought for a pittance because of its relative non-use, but resold as though there were a valid purpose)? What about the little bit of money charged as a utility tax by municipalities on a water bill? Since that is not quite within the law, where do you think the deposits go? Maybe some money finds its way into the city’s coffers, while a sum is switched over into a “premium” account (with no one the wiser). The algorithm need not be fancy-shmancy. The purchases may be of what would seem an inconsequential nature. Nevertheless, you will have in hand a little bit here and a little bit there. On occasion, you might find hefty sums (associated with an appointed guardian, or an administrator of an estate, or other lucrative connection), but you would really have to know where to look and how to get through all of the obstacles necessary to confuse the nature of the scam.

The schemes to generate, skim, or divert moneys are many and varied in Broward County, its many agencies & boards, and the municipalities making up most of Broward County. As just one example, look at Sunshine Ranches and the scheme run by John Canada, a person familiar with making moneys flow to the netherworld when employed as the finance director for the county. Look at the way that Lori Parrish has designated certain persons and their properties as churches, creating a neat little disappearing act (from IRS intrusion) and making the local (ad-valorem) tax dollars go in another direction than (a federal depository or) the county treasury. What about the City of Miramar and the continual building schemes. There is a reason that Blockbuster Park would have been located in that particular district. And, although this beast did not live to breathe long enough to issue bonds, the City has been able to get along without Blockbuster Park, and seems to have found its own way to manufacture money.

The feds are here for a reason. (Unlike our State agents,) the feds ability has not been diminished, and they can sense, see, hear, & smell the corruption in broward-town. But, they may not be able to immediately get a handle on the money raking going on here in the county, since it has been a continuing enterprise for many decades, and possibly generations -- and is so varied. Also, within the feds, there have to be those that like doggy bags full of cash, golf memberships to elevate your lifestyle, another form of ground transportation, manila envelopes with untraceable moola, and any number of methods to enrich yourself. Regardless, to crack open the nut that is Broward County would be such an accomplishment, that, even if the crème-de-la-crème of the corrupt dangle a hefty prize to look the other way, the feds in charge may not want to join the adventure to continue the diversion tactics that had been practiced by those who had come before. We must give those federal agents, who are new to the area (like John Gillies), an opportunity to prove themselves. The airport will continue to corruptly waste money hand-over-fist, daily. Even though many have been laying low for over ten years, they still operate. They may not be able to be taken down for the egregious violations of law from the past, but the continual need to violate the law (and snub their noses at the IRS) allows the way to bring these greedy miscreants to justice. These corrupted politicians & their henchmen won’t be going far. They will be here when the indictments roll out.

YES, the way that the airport is run is corruptly. But just about any and every public agency in Broward seems to have been corrupted. The people at the top are either like Lieberman, Kraft, Ritter, Eggelletion, etc, which is openly corrupt, or are so ignorant that they are proud to be wearing rose colored glasses & would not be able to figure out their surroundings or properly balance a checkbook (like a Cindi Hutchinson, for example). So, you have the ignorant giving accolades to others they feel are like themselves, with a belief that they have been slavishly working for the betterment of the county -- whether the peons appreciate them or don’t cotton to the manner that they must employ to get things done.

So, is there a tremendous amount of corruption & government waste at the airport? The answer is “You bet your bottom dollar there is.” Now, where does that leave us in the REAL WORLD of today (where there are laws interpreted in a way to keep the people in place and rules used as a means to protect those enslaving the people)? What does the used-and-abused taxpayer do about such rampant corruption and such devious politicians in seats of power?

Remember that your power has been limited by those that act as if they know better (with a portrayal of any action taken to be for your own benefit, like it or not). While you do count (especially when making payments or paying tribute), you only have a say so to comment (but nothing more) because you are merely a taxpayer -- a peon, a peasant. Do you think that the prevalent “let them eat cake” attitude (of all of these elected & appointed officials, public servants, & contract agents) makes you anything more? The awards and rewards, that these malevolent factions give each other, are for what they believe are acts of kindness & generosity when showering down sincere blessings of public service on the masses of people -- that springs from a belief that the official, public servant, or agency of either deserves more than a healthy amount of respect for their benevolence (albeit on your dime, that keeps on giving, in the contributions that make-up big paychecks, and in the double-or-triple dipping of guaranteed pension & retirement benefits). And, if the public servants and elected officials have to put themselves in their own line for the awards and rewards, so be it. After all, what do we, as taxpayers, know about the way that any part of the world is run? (Sorry for the sarcasm, therealyaz, but I get so d*mn sick of all the b*llsh*t at times.)

Ugh...does she lead that group that waves the flag on the corner of US1 and Oakland Park...by the Coral Ridge Shopping Center? They are nasty and violent. One flag holder called me Un-American because I wouldn't "honk" my horn while I was stuck at the red light. He actually scared my grandchild with his words and actions. Started preaching about the fabric of the flag...and how its stitched....good lord. Why won't these people go away?

Great job Pulp! Didn't have to go back too far to find that clip. Why not balance it out by posting a few clips of anarchists at an IMF meeting or a few pro-socialist speeches from last year as being representative of all progressives?

A very smart and very successful businessman once said that “if you can get everyone in an organization pulling in the same direction, you will dominate any market, in any business at any time.” You could easily apply this maxim to communities. The most successful ones are those in which most people are pulling in the same direction.

Anger and resentment are now seen as positive values. In what is still the richest country on earth, those who are best off are regularly told that they should be angry because they are being abused and denied their birthright of always getting more. It is hard to imagine getting everyone pulling in the same direction anytime soon, especially since the preferred direction for a lot of people is wherever the other guys are not going. If President Obama says that BP is the bad guy, then, by God, they must be good guys.

Hard times almost always produce an increase in intolerance for the “others.” During the Great Depression, people like Father Coughlin and Huey Long had huge followings and were the Glen Becks, Rush Limbaughs and Sarah Palins of their time. In Europe, the Depression greased the skids for the Nazis and Fascists to come to power.

How did it happen? It happened, in part, because in hard times, there is an increased indifference to others, to those who are not part of our group. And there is a real failure to imagine the possible consequences. Sure we hated them, but we never intended for that to happen. Because of our sense of superiority and uniqueness, Americans are more prone to failures of imagination of this kind than are other peoples.

you read local newspapers that allow posted comments on their articles, the picture that emerges can be absolutely frightening. It is important to realize that these comments probably come from a very small portion of the population, at least I hope so. But they reveal a lack of feeling and, not infrequently, hatred for those who are different, especially racial minorities and immigrants.

These comments should give everyone pause. Terms like “extermination,” “animals” and “human garbage” can be regularly found in these comments, all of which are conveniently anonymous. And there is always an underlying threat of violence. All of this has been ratcheted up since President Obama came into office. And the Internet and social networks have helped make it all viral.

We also live in an age of exaggerated “slippery slope” think. If you extend unemployment benefits, they will just sit on their asses instead of getting a (non-existent) job. If you reform health care, the government will control everything and put grandma in front of the death panel. If you allow gay marriage, pretty soon people will be marrying sheep. It is all bull. Except it isn’t in the area of deepening divisions. The more we accept and get used to this kind of language, the easier it is to think about the next step, since we have successfully “otherized” the others. But what can we do? How can we help get people pulling in the same direction to get all of the benefits of acting together, and avoid the great dangers of going in the other direction? Not an easy question because there are no easy answers. But here are a couple of ideas.

The starting point is building trust across groups and communities, step by step. And the best way to do that is not through feel-good exercises, but by getting them to work together toward a common vision and some achievable goal. In the territory, that could be a set of environmental, community revitalization or anti-violence and community peace goals. These goals have to be concrete and produce visible benefits across groups. Who can lead such an effort? Normally, we look to – and think of – politics and political leaders as the source of leadership. I do not believe that it will work for this kind of change. There is a need to look to those who are already trusted and who can reach across groups. Who is respected in these ways? Religious leaders? Business leaders? Community leaders? Finally, there needs to be a forum or place to meet that is comfortable for everyone, a willingness to discuss difficult issues in a non-blaming way and a commitment to sticking with something for the long haul. But the heart of the effort is a concrete vision of a better community, especially one in which people who are different live together in peace and mutual trust.

A perfect example of the name calling, issue avoiding, nonsense that goes on here. I have read several of your posts over the past year and have yet to find you seeking any common ground for discussion. Crash and burn, Virgil. The sound you hear will be the gnashing of your teeth as the results roll in on Election eve. But that's OK. You can always blame the uninformed yokels who are ruining the country.

Off Topic I am npt sure who is in the wrong regarding Sylvia Poitier or dimwit Timmy .Bob has mentioned she has done some unscrupulous things and that somehow he has sided with Poitier as Timmy has gotten too personally involved.Like Rick Scott she has not been charged with any wrongdoing thus far,I am wondering if Larryboy and any others should jump on her bandwagon and put an end to Timmys sick behaviour ,,,just MHO...Cmon back Larryboy!!!

Teabaggers, like most middle class conservatives, are stooges for the Elite. I have yet to hear one of them advocate a coherent position. They claim to want to balance the budget, yet they refuse to acknowledge that you cannot do so without significantly reducing the budget of the military industrial complex. These fuckers never met a War they didn't like, but are too stupid to understand that these same Wars are bankrupting the nation.

They love to talk about reducing social security, medicare and other social safety net programs, but remain silent on corporate subsidies. Just recently, Exxon received tens of billions of dollars in subsidies from the corporate whores who pollute the halls of Congress. This is the same Exxon that earned hundreds of billions of dollars in 2009, but paid no income taxes to the IRS because they created 20 subsidiaries in countries defined as tax havens.

This group of miscreants and inbeciles may be the most destructive force in American political history. Just when it is clear that we must all unite against a miniscule percentage of ultra wealthy scumbags, these manipulated little turds come along and pollute the debate with their retarded rhetoric.

Here is a beautiful story for Saint Patrick's Day, one that highlights one of these ultra-wealthy scumbags, Donald Sterling, and an Irishman whose life was saved because of the benevolence of his co-workers.

Also, let's not forget that the Spence-Jones prosecutor, Richard Scruggs is a wanted man for his misdeeds in Costa Rica. How many other prosecutors are there out there that have arrest warrants out for them that are still practicing law? Why hasn't Katherine Fernandez Rundle fired him? Why is the Bar allowing him to practice while he's a fugitive?

The great irony, of course, is that the Tea Party/Republican Party is fueled by people who are manipulated into voting against their own economic self interest by carefully orchestrated jingoism and fear mongering.

No surprise at all. Read what I have been advocating. I have stated clearly that Obama is an Establishment puppet. The only time I have defended him is when the mentally challenged refer to him as a socialist, which is the most idiotic shit I have ever heard.

If he bends over anymore for the Chamber of Commerce and Wall Street, he'll look like one of those chinese acrobats.

"We don’t see a lot of that these days in our country. On the mainland, divisions based on race, class, region and political beliefs sometimes feel as if they are deeper than ever. Whether this is true or not is not clear because our views are shaped by the anger and division-driven voices of television and radio talk shows."

Forgot to paste and copied this paragraph. Again all credit to Mr. Schneiger.

...inmho these divisions in our country are being generated by very powerful few individuals seeking their own agendas with no loyalty to country or man. As of last month half of the US riches is control by 400 out of over 300,000,000. Wow!! Keep fighting and your division, both parties love this idea why you continue getting screwed.

Please read and Educate yourself with an open mind. I know it is hard but please try for the sake of our children futures and ours at that.

A wave of Tea Party election wins is comparable to a rat infestation that creates a plague epidemic. For a little while, the rats feel like they're taking over the world but in the end, civilization prevails.

Sadly, there are few Americans left who will do the right thing by voting against their own economic self interest for the betterment of the country as a whole. That used to be called being principled. Sacrifice is no longer an acceptable way of life. Even when it comes down to a few bucks per person. Screw our kids' and grandkids' future if I can vote a certain way and get a few extra bucks for myself now.

In the United States, wealth is highly concentrated in a relatively few hands. As of 2007, the top 1% of households (the upper class) owned 34.6% of all privately held wealth, and the next 19% (the managerial, professional, and small business stratum) had 50.5%, which means that just 20% of the people owned a remarkable 85%, leaving only 15% of the wealth for the bottom 80% (wage and salary workers). In terms of financial wealth (total net worth minus the value of one's home), the top 1% of households had an even greater share: 42.7%. Table 1 and Figure 1 present further details drawn from the careful work of economist Edward N. Wolff at New York University (2010).

You may wonder why this is revelant to the Pulp's story. Think about it, its all about the money. The koch brothers and the Tea party.

ie: No unemployment ext. for the layoffs because of massive deficit. Remember that argument last spring.

Last December, Everyone singing kumbaya extending UI benefits for a year while extending Tax Breaks for the wealthy. No deficit concerns.

I mean you have to be very close minded to not see the hypocrisy of political parties whom serve the same masters.

We must unite and reclaim our country back. Stop being used and manipulated.

1) Correct about contribution to the national debt but huge over-generalization regarding what 'those people' think. Maybe not for the neocon Bush supporters, but it is for "tea party" advocates. I'll save you from saying it - they're not the same thing. That, of course, is a convenient position for the left to take since you are subtly equating the two idealogies. Nice try. Is there some overlap? Of course. But the "tea partiers" I know are are far from being neocons. Almost all (the ones I know) are in favor of across the board cuts, including military. Most of them also believe in a non-interventionist foreign policy while maintaining a strong national defense. Wow, that's crazytalk to want to maintain a strong national defense. They must all be fascists. Probably racists too. Good thing the "progressive" we elected stopped both wars, shut down Guantanamo, etc. . . . and drastically slashed military spending (with a Democrat majority in Congress for his first two years), so we've put the military spending problem behind us. [Better to spend your time being distracted by omplaining about what you think tea party / civic activists want while overlooking what the government is actually doing the whole time. Talk about being a stooge.]

2) Absolutely wrong! Most tea partiers are strongly opposed to corporate subsidies. In fact, the TARP bailouts and aid to GM are largely the genesis behind the movement. I'm personally glad to see that all the corporate bailouts stopped after a "progressive" leader was elected. The "stimulus" plan was largely a "bailout" for every left-leaning group that supported Obama in the election. You're too intelligent to not see that Virgil. Also, do you really think that things are any different in the Obama administration? I heard lots of talk about "change" and a "different government" once he was elected. Riiighhhhttt. You rubes keep on believing that his admin is any different than the previous ones.

Also, as an alleged business owner, I'm sure you realize that any "corporate tax" your company pays gets passed right back to your consumers. You don't do that? Hmmm, first business I've ever seen that doesn't.

3) I'll be in favor of taxing the wealthiest one percent more once everyone "pays their fair share." Get rid of the "refundable tax credits" and let everyone feel a little pain by paying some federal income taxes. Currently, about 45% of taxpayers don't. Maybe if they did, their views on government spending would change. I'm not advocating that everyone pays in 25%+ of their income, but it's ridiculous that they don't pay anything.

How to cure ills. Cut spending, stop quantatative easing, and even out the tax system. Spending cuts include military (except VA, increase it and fix it) and social security. How about this? - we ask people to be responsible for themselves and not pop out a bunch of kids if they can't afford them. How dare I say something like that - I'm an awful person for even thinking it. Is it really fair to expect someone else to pay for your kids when you can't afford them?

I would like to hear one Democrat be honest about the need for ss cuts and acknowledge that nobody is talking about cutting grandma's ss payment. With the significant increase in life expectancy, do you really think it's wise to leave the retirement age where it is? Of course not. It needs to be increased over time. That won't affect someone who is going to retire in the next 5-10 years. You increase in brackets. But, if someone is 40-45 and they are opposed to raising the retirement age to 67 or 70, then they are greedy assholes. You will never hear a democrat come close to saying that.

The corporate whores I was referring to are in both parties. In fact, the majority of both parties are nothing but paid shills for the Fortune 500. Every progressive understands this, which is why Obama has lost so much support from the left, many of whom only support him because the alternative--outright fascism--would be even worse.

Contrast progressives, who truly stand up for the masses, with teabaggers, who are nothing other than stooges for the astro turf organizations created by billionaires, like the Koch brothers. What we end up with is a toxic soup of contradictory ideas and concepts that do nothing but pollute the debate.

Teabaggers are nothing but tools in a strategy to divide and conquer the masses.

You are obviously a very bright guy, bright enough to understand that you are a needle in a haystack in that tea party movement. However, what you still don't comprehend is that supply side economics has proven historically to be a failure.

And as a small business owner, you must understand that continuing to take more from the middle class only hurts your business, as there is a direct correlation between the middle class earning a fair wage and demand for your products or services.

Social Security needs to be tweaked, that's all, but that is a red herring.

Not the first time you've taken a shot at me Patti. Ever actually read any of my posts? I notice that you never respond to any of the specific comments. Instead, you presume to know my position on issues such as abortion. Last two times your presumed to know my opinion, you were completely wrong.

I don't follow the GOP or Tea Party line at all. But your small mind can't comprehend that. Thus you assume that everybody who doesn't take a "loyalty oath" to the democratic party is an idiot and must be tea bagger.